A HISTORY OF THE LATE SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR. With a Description and Account of that Garrison, from the earliest periods. By John Drinkwater, Captain in the late Seventy-Second Regiment, or Royal Manchester Volunteers.

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SECOND EDITION 1786, corrected and with a copious Table of Contents, with an extra illustration "Design of A Medal", and a 4 page document about Drinkwater, see details below. 4to, approximately 270 x 220 mm, 10½ x 8½ inches, folding map frontispiece of the Coasts of Barbary, Spain and Portugal, large folding chart of the Bay of Gibraltar, 2 large folding battle plans, small engraved vignette to title page, 6 folding views including 1 of a battle, pages: xxiv, 356, with a list of Subscribers, bound in modern quarter calf over marbled boards, raised bands to spine, gilt motifs in compartments, gilt lettered red morocco label, new endpapers. Folds to maps strengthened and repaired, and a few other edge repairs on reverse, no loss, 1 vertical fold with misfolds, 1 folding plate lightly browned, small closed tear to inner edge of battle plans, neatly repaired, faint browning to lower margin of title page, otherwise a clean tight sturdy copy. At the rear is tippped in a printed sheet, slightly smaller than the page size headed "Design of A Medal, proposed to be struck in order to Commemorate the Siege of Gibraltar" with 2 designs below (diam. 58 mm, 2¼"), obverse and reverse for the proposed medal, obverse dated 1782, reverse 1783 marking the termination of the blockade. Underneath is written in ink: "This Medal was executed by P (?) at the Expense of General William Picton - but the Die failed after 70 Impressions were struck". Laid in is 4 page folio document headed "Memoir of the Public Services of Col. Drinkwater, One of the Comptrollers of Army Accounts". Appearing to be closely handwritten in 1835, the the first 3 pages are actually reproduced by some method or other, the paper being watermarked 1822. The last 9 lines on page 3 and page 4 appear to have been added in manuscript in a smaller very similar hand in paler ink. The Memoir recounts the military and government career of Col. John Drinkwater (1762 – 1844) who kept a journal during the Great Siege of Gibraltar. He had joined the Royal Manchester volunteers at the age of fifteen and was almost immediately posted to Gibraltar, travelling there a second time in 1787 with the second battalion of the Royal Regiment of foot. He subsequently accompanied his regiment to Toulon (where he acted as military secretary during the city's English occupation) and then to Corsica (where he served as deputy-judge-advocate to the English forces stationed there). After Corsica's evacuation Drinkwater returned with Sir Gilbert Elliott in the Minerva, which flew the pendant of Nelson as commodore, whom he had befriended while in Corsica. Sir John Jervis's squadron off Cape St Vincent having been reached, Drinkwater witnessed the battle of St Vincent, and brought the news of it to England. Drinkwater was of the opinion that the services of Nelson, who was not mentioned in the published dispatches, had been underestimated, and he published anonymously A Narrative of the Battle of St Vincent, in which justice was done to Nelson. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST. N° de ref. de la librería

Detalles bibliográficos

Título: A HISTORY OF THE LATE SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR. ...
Editorial: London printed by T. Spilsbury; and sold by J. Johnson; T. and J. Egerton.and J.Edwards
Año de publicación: 1786
Encuadernación: Hardcover
Condición del libro: Very Good
Edición: 2nd Edition